Complex, unprecedented drone swarm attacks are being called Russia’s “Pearl Harbor.” Ukraine successfully completed its biggest long-range attack of the war with Russia on Sunday, after using smuggled drones deep inside Russia to launch a series of strikes on 40 warplanes, mostly strategic bombers, at four military bases also deep inside Russia.
The drone launch sites, and targeted air bases, were over 2,500 miles from Ukraine.
President Zelensky said 117 drones were used in the covert “Spider’s Web” operation by the SBU security service, striking 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers. SBU sources said it took a year-and-a-half to organize the strikes.
And the audacious attack plan was reportedly kept secret from even President Trump, which could have its own other effects.
Zelensky hailed the “brilliant” attack, saying they will “undoubtedly be in history books.”
“We are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war,” he said as officials from both sides of the conflict were due to meet for the second round of ceasefire talks in Istanbul, Turkey.
The strikes came immediately after Russia carried out its largest record-breaking drone strike on Ukraine since the war began on Saturday night, employing 472 drones. (RELATED: Enemy Nation’s Drone Breakthrough Raises Alarm Bells)
Russia confirmed Ukrainian attacks in five regions, calling them a “terrorist act.” Seeking to downplay the damage though, Russia’s defense ministry later said that several of its military aircraft “caught fire” in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, with no casualties.
However, Russian commentators called the strikes a “black day for Russian long-range aviation” and “Russia’s Pearl Harbor.”
The Telegraph reported:
The SBU said that as many as 40 warplanes – worth $7 billion and amounting to 34 percent of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers – had been destroyed in the clandestine drone operation.
If the figures are confirmed, the attack would represent a sweeping blow to Russia’s ability to bomb Ukraine safely from distance and a dent to its nuclear strike capabilities.
The Ukrainian attack involved smuggling drones into shipping containers with remote-controlled retractable roofs to strike Russian aircraft as far away as the Arctic.
Moscow had been forced to relocate the bulk of its expensive bomber fleet thousands of miles from the frontline in a now-failed attempt to get them out of range of Ukraine.
Other sources told BBC News that the drones were launched from trucks after being smuggled into Russia, stored on wooden pallets, loaded onto the trucks, driven close to the distant airbases where the roofs were opened and the drones launched remotely.
One observer on X noted:
Based on the images leaked by SBU, each container had 50-60 drones stacked under the roof. Presumably it was 1 truck per air base with 2 containers on its trailer, that’s 100-120 drones per each airfield.
After the drones launched, the Ukrainian launch trucks self-destructed.
“Ukraine has conducted audacious attacks on Russia before – but this is a new level,” said the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, writing from Kyiv.
“If you ever wanted to see Russia’s irreplaceable strategic number fleet destroyed, we got you covered,” Ukrainian officials posted online as the attacks were ongoing.
The Russian bases hit by Ukraine hosted a number of Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjacks, the high-end core of Russia’s nuclear triad’s airborne force. It only has about 20 of them. There are no reports that any of these were hit.
Reportedly hit were Tupolev Tu-22M twin-engine supersonic bomber designed in the 1970s code named Backfire, and Tupolev Tu-95s, code named Bear by NATO, four-engine turboprop planes designed in the 1950s to rival the U.S. B-52 bomber.
The TU-95 has an intercontinental range and carries eight long-range cruise missiles that can be equipped with conventional or nuclear warheads.
Tu-95 and the Tu-22M production ended after the 1991 collapse of the USSR, meaning that those lost can’t be replaced.
The head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, was more conservative in his damage assessment, saying that at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed, while numerous other military planes were damaged.
Meanwhile some former high level U.S. officials, who prefer to remain anonymous, are speculating that the British have their fingerprints all over this attack, arguing that like the 2022 sabotage attack on the NordStream pipelines, the Ukrainians don’t have the logistical or operational capability to do it by themselves. (RELATED: Global Leader Targeted In Alarming Incidents — Are They Foreign-Backed?)
One added that:
An equally scary possibility is that a group of our [U.S.] military advisors—mostly retired GO’s [General Officers] —came up with this “brilliant” operation in Murmansk. They definitely conceived of seizing Kursk and, likely, the (fortunately foiled) ambush/assassination attempt on Putin’s helo just a week ago.
Whoever helped orchestrate it though, one Russian BBC Russia analyst wrote:
The strategic bombers hit by Ukraine yesterday are not just tools of war, they are symbols of Russia’s nuclear might and strategic invulnerability.
For decades, Moscow has been sending such bombers on missions across the globe to project an image of a nuclear superpower not to be messed with.
Now that image has been badly damaged by homegrown Ukrainian drones costing peanuts.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Yes Deep[ State had to be involved
Considering the leaks from DC, if any U.S. flag officers were responsible, good for them! Since this started during the Biden administration, telling Austin or Milley, would, IMHO, would be a disaster! Good for the Ukraine. Every Russian aircraft destroyed, is one less for Putin to use to threaten NATO!!!
With 18 months of planning and Trump only in office for the last 5 months maybe the generals who planned and caused the implementation of this should be called back bt the President. I don’t think Selensky was smart enough to put this strike together. The theater is to massive for him alone. Sadly, America will get the blame.
It won’t take a genius to figure out how easy it would be to smuggle a box car or container on a train or ship for exploitation anywhere in the country or the world for that matter. I think warfare has changed and not for the better.
Putin is not the bad guy here The mental midgets Biden had for Generals are.